Terminal Love (2009)

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Never the Same

Not today; nor tomorrow

Shall ever be the same;

The past never was anyway;

And today cannot redeem the claim

That tomorrow will ever be free

From love forever bound to sorrow:

Love cuts deep like a sword

And burrows

In wounds half healed and harrows

In broken hearts with broken arrows;

Love rents and tears the battered mind

And the shattered spirit of love declined!

Not today, nor tomorrow

Shall ever erase or rewind

The feelings of love your essence ignites

Or the passion and elation your heavenly scent inflames!

All mortal wounds are healed with your smile;

And time stops at your feet;

Lost of rhythm and rhyme and beat!

But my wounded heart will not heal

As I feel the pain in exile!

Not today; nor tomorrow

Shall ever be the same;

The past never was anyway;

Until you came;

And today cannot redeem the claim

That tomorrow will ever be free

From pain forever bound to pain!

There Was A Time

There was a time when I had the world

In my palm;

When you were by my side;

I was so happy inside;

I was the richest man in the world;

Empowered by love beyond redemption;

By your presence;

And heavenly beauty!

There was a time

When I was so proud

Of being with you;

So madly in love with you;

With passion unparalleled;

And intensity unabated!

There was a time when I could see the world

So clearly through your eyes;

Life held no surprise;

I had all the treasures in the world

In your hazel eyes!

Now that you have gone;

My deepest fears have come true;

I have lost my fortunes;

Although I still love you!

No riches or treasures in the world

Make up for your loss;

I am a poor man,

Without you!

Tattoo

Never in my life

Did I ever want to have a tattoo!

Never believed in body adornment

Or in self-decoration;

Or in what some people might call self-mutilation!

Lovers came and went

And that was all they meant;

Not until I met you;

And fell in love with you;

I have tattooed you on my arm;

With washable ink;

Just toying with the idea

Of making you part of my physical being

And part of my material existence;

Perhaps it might work as a charm;

To bring you to me!

I might have one done one day

With indelible dye;

I might just try

Before I die of sorrow and rejection!

But one thing for sure:

I have tattooed you in my heart;

Because I love you more than you think;

And that is in permanent ink!

Does the Wind Feel Your Magic?

Does the wind feel your magic

As it carcasses your hair?

And does the night go into a trance

As your fragrance fills the air?

What heavenly beauty

Makes the world embrace

The moment of your charm

When you step outside into the world!

And what awesome joy your presence brings!

God made you of special stock —

And time stopped the clock

When you walked down the street!

Contrasting tunes with no strings

Fair from fair will never dare

To reach your sweet ankles!

O heavenly beauty!

Your magic will forever persist

And my heart will forever insist,

As you smile,

With every heartbeat,

Never to resist your charm!

O heavenly beauty

Let me die at your feet!

HOME

The Oracle (2009)

Time for a Change

Time for a change,

If artfulness doesn't woo,

And the words "I love you"

Miscue!

Time for a change,

If constancy doesn't sell;

And sincere emotions take you every time to hell!

Time for a change;

If consistency cannot do

And honesty cannot for once imbue

Your soul with ecstasy

And hue!

Time for a change;

If the words "I love you"

Do not go down well,

Despite all the coins you throw

In the wishing well!

And all the prayers you sing!

Time for a change!

If all things outrange,

And all words sound so strange!

Time for a change;

Despite the feelings in your heart that won't change!

Time to fly away; to take wing!

Time for a change!

The Last Man Standing!

When the dust settled

And the mushroom cloud lifted;

And the nuclear fallout covered the ground;

The last man standing was a woman!

All stark naked, dazed and disengaged;

All alone and not a soul else around!

When wars, plagues and disease

On land, in blood and airborne;

Killed off all men with ease;

And all baby boys arrived dead born;

The last man standing was a woman!

No sperm, no gene and no man to re-create

A lost world with no men, semen or lubes

To give birth to baby boys in tubes!

When boys, their toys were guns;

And men, they killed for fun

And whatever demons they invented!

With against and with with us;

The turnstile doors turning thus!

When the dust settled

And the mushroom cloud lifted;

And the nuclear fallout covered the ground;

The last man standing was a woman!

With no scorn, pain, or jilt,

But all alone, dazed, scared and wilted.

In the beginning she bore their sin

For bringing love, joy and sensation

To a dull world; ensconced in fear;

And near the end she wore their guilt!

When the dust settled

And the mushroom cloud lifted;

The last man standing was a woman!

The Black Hole

There is no need to give

Further examples;

Whichever course we care to take

Will lead us to some end —

Desired, willed, or undesired;

Or to some impasse,

Or a black hole

That turns us into spaghetti,

Or a mirror on the wall

That tells it all!

To stay the winding course might prove to be too hard;

So let us pretend

The road ahead is clear;

And let us transcend

The unwillingness of the stubborn mind

To travel beyond the tangible;

And beyond the visible-

All things are divisible

By one;

Except a singularity:

Where the space and time we think we know

Cease to exist,

And all matter doesn't matter anymore!

The goals might remain unfulfilled;

As the troubled hearts cannot be stilled;

And the spitfire brains, with unswerving tenacity,

Cannot desist

From the pursuit of lore!

But the course is set —

Desired, undesired or willed —

Will lead us to an exit door!

The Peas and the Pod!

Like knows like

And the two were alike;

Competing, contesting and contending

In their rivalry;

Never pretending;

Their arrogance unsurpassable;

Their aggression still untold!

Like knows like!

Dogs never each other bite;

Never go unprovoked into a fight;

Although they may occasionally bark;

Yet they never trespass or overstep the mark!

And thieves never rob thieves;

Forever their thieves' honor they uphold;

And liars never have a long memory;

Like knows like;

And the two are alike;

Two peas in a pod;

Making the beast with two backs;

Beguiling and beguiled;

As they run wild!

With little care and restraint!

Like knows like

And the two are alike;

With twin shadows that cannot lie

Despite the masking layers of paint!

The Trundle of Time (2000)

Home

Home aint home no more,

As I stood outside my door -

Of all the places

Hiding spaces

Home was always home -

My refuge,

My haven,

My comfort zone:

Home was always home!

Since she broke my heart

There's no where to start

To rebuild my shattered dreams

And so it seems …

Home aint home no more!

As I turned the door knob

My heart could no more throb

As it used to do every time I came home …

To be with my love

My lucky charm!

Home aint home no more!

As I walked through the door

I could hear the laughter of my kids …

Vibrating through my ribs ...

I could picture their cribs …

And the playful time we had!

Home aint home no more

As I stood outside my door -

Of all the places,

Hiding spaces,

Home was always home-

My shelter …

My hideout …

My port!

Home aint home no more!

As I lay down on the floor

Staring at the naked ceiling,

I had just an eerie feeling

That I was not at home!

Home aint home no more!

Candle lights and a dying fire …

A broken heart,

Glinting embers in my hearth!

Sparkless wine!

Empty space! Vacant faces! Fading, fading, dying out!

Home aint home no more!

As I stood outside her door!

It Stood to Reason

It stood to reason

It stood to reason to find you here,

After so many years

Of wandering in one space

Of wondering about this place!

It stood to reason!

The changing season

Of my years have taught me to be wary

Of total strangers,

Have made me weary of false friends

and ingenuity -

Of quickly hitting it off and

Embracing with open arms

Those who pretend to be soul mates!

It stood to reason to find you here,

Waiting for me after so many years!

There is danger in totality

In letting go of one's intuitions

One's instincts and fears!

There is risk in losing one's space,

Of constantly smiling

In revealing one's inner self and vulnerability!

In being in touch with one's own feelings!

It stood to reason to find you here -

There is comfort in solitude

In working out the mind

Sitting by the glowing fire inside!

It stood to reason!

To find you here!

The Wasp and the Bee (2007)

Autumn Leaves

Falling like autumn leaves

On the footpath of life;

One by one, leaf by leaf

As the hand of Time unweaves

The rainbow of desires,

And the glowing fires

Fade away!

It's suddenly getting dark and cold;

In a blink of an eye, we're now old;

Shivering and quivering; yet we're still in May,

Or is it just the beginning of spring?

Bidding this world goodbye;

Too soon!

In a gust of autumn wind;

Blown away,

As we try to cling

To the last spindle thread of hope!

Is there a gold pot at the end of the rainbow?

Born with a Smile

I was born with a smile on my face.

I was so happy to join the human race!

Now that I have seen where I have been,

Trying to find a place for my soul,

Walking in the shades of sidewalls,

And the shadows of betwixt and between;

Everywhere I look, people are so mean.

Everywhere I turn, the world's in disgrace!

I was born with a melody in my heart;

I was glad to begin from the start,

In this world, with love, joy and grace!

I was so happy to join the human race!

But now that I have endured the pain,

I have finally realized how inane

It is to believe in humanity!

The Errant Eye

I have an eye with mind of its own;

Looking here and looking there;

Looking around and everywhere;

Leaving nothing alone!

I have a mind with an eye of its own;

Looking here and looking there;

Inside the box; outside the square!

Leaving nothing alone!

@turjuman Online

Information shared is knowledge gained

Selected Poems By Ali Darwish (2009). For more samples, click on a cover. A new page will open in a separate window.